In Remembrance and in Solidarity

We, the Mumbaikars, are really shocked with the recent terrorist attacks, but we will stay united and we want to bring change. We won’t take this lying down. There are various events in Mumbai and elsewhere to mourn the dead and build strength for the future.

If you are in Mumbai, Come and join us. You can take part in any of these events that are held in various parts of city.

Gateway - Non Co-operation Movement
For those who've laid down their lives on 26/27 Nov 08

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Gateway of India


A Non Co-operation movement is something to show that we are not taking this lying down. It is something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. Let it be started by the corporate. Its a nameless, leaderless movement. Let's show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Let's all come together at Gateway of India.. Let's ask for what's our right to live fearlessly. Let us devote one evening of our life to it. It's worth it.


Walk for peace and harmony

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Gateway of India, Bombay

Peace Protest and Meeting

Thursday December 4
(Time to be finalised)
KC College, Churchgate
(Meeting will culminate in a march to CST STATION, felicitating those who acted promptly).

Mumbai for Peace

Wednesday, December 10th (International Human Rights Day)
1 p.m.
South Mumbai (exact location and map in a short while)

Light a Candle

Monday, December 1
7,00pm to 8.00pm
At home or wherever you are.

Light a candle on the 1st of December at 7.30 PM for all the victims of the ongoing terrorism activities all over Mumbai.

Thanking the protectors of Mumbai

From Friday 28th November to Saturday, December 27th

At your nearest police station, fire brigade or army/navy/airforce base

*Note: this is not a one-day event. Or even an "event" at all. It's a suggestion, an altering of mindset, a small step on the way forward. You haven't missed it. You can do this any time, any place.*Our brave, brave police, armed forces and firefighters have been putting their lives at risk to bring our city back to normal. Many have died.

We often criticize them vociferously; we probably will do so again. And we should. Later.

But now is a good time to show our gratitude and respect for what they've done since the night of the 26th.

Go over to your neighborhood police station, fire brigade or army/navy/air force base.

Light a candle or a diya and leave it there.

Or leave a card, or a note of appreciation.

Or a flower.

Shake the hand of any police, army or fire brigade personnel on the spot, say thank you, and explain why you're doing this.

Do this whenever you can, wherever you can. You don't have to be in Bombay. This could have happened anywhere in the world.

(People in other countries and Indians abroad: you may want to do this at your nearest Indian embassy or consulate.)

We have to salute all those brave policemen, army and navy soldiers for doing their best to keep all of us safe.

Only the cowards kill the innocent

The first call that I received informing me about the terror in Mumbai told me to stay indoors.

Indoors I stayed.

Helplessly, I watched the senseless behavior of terrorist as they spread fear and terror in the city.



I watched TV, I read the paper on the net and prayed for the safety of the innocent people who were at wrong place at wrong time.









But Mumbai will bounce back and terrorist will burn in hell.

Plays in Mumbai during this Diwali week end

If I need to escape from noise pollution of fire crackers and traffic in Mumbai, the best place to relax my feet would be at the theatres that organize plays in Mumbai. There are some interesting plays that have caught my attention during this weekend. like:

´Biwi-O-Biwi´, a two hour play (by Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA)) that deals with the theme of modern male chauvinism and how the modern woman stands up to and fights against it. This play promises to be Super-hit, star-studded comedy play in Hindi. It sounds interesting with the cast such as Rakesh Bedi, Rashmi Sharma, Avtar Gill, Sulabha Arya & others.

This drama is on Oct 26, 2008 at 6:00 PM at Prithvi Theatre20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu

Another play that I would like to watch is Tajmahal Ka Tender. This paly explores the possibility of Shahjahan coming alive and giving orders to construct the Taj Mahal in today's day and age. The bureaucratic machinery along with its infamous RED TAPE comes into action and takes the emperor for a long roller-coaster ride. Whether the Tajmahal is finally made or not, is a thing to be seen. The play is full of wit, humour and sarcasm.
This has a star cast of Rakesh Bedi, Rajan Kapur, Avtar Gill, Pramod Dubey & others. And is directed by Salim Alif

There are two shows on Oct 25, 2008, at 06:00 PM, and at 09:00 PM at Prithvi Theatre 20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu

There is one more play in the South of Mumbai at NCPA - Experimental TheatreNariman Point, NCPA Marg & Dorabji Tata Road

On Oct 26, 2008 at 06:30 PM, there is a play called ´ All About Women ´ (an Akvarious Productions ) this is Written by Miro Gavran. And directed by Hidaayat Sami with the cast as Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Prerna Chawla, Nimrat Kaur, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vandana Prabhu, Mallaika Shenoy, Shivani Tanksale and others.

The journey into the female psyche can be a pretty arduous, if not confusing one. This play attempts that very journey with five life stories alternatively interweaving. The stories range from poignant to hilarious; while the characters range from insightful to absurd, but always remain real. The protagonists are all women: sisters, friends, colleagues at work, old women and little children and the play presents their diverse experiences regarding love, friendship, and careers, hoping to reveal all about women.

Watching a play during this festive week-end should be fun, I am sure……

Source http://www.buzzintown.com/

Commuting in Mumbai trains….A real madness!

This is the common sight in Mumbai during peak hours when people have no patience to wait for the train which will secure them comfortable seats.

But how long can they wait? Vacant seats are available only at the starting point. People traveling long distances will not give their seat to anybody not even to a handicapped.

One can see small big oral and physical fights which basically happen because of uncomfortable travel.



Are we born on the wrong side of the planet? Will we ever travel in style? Will we ever see trains that have room for everybody to be comfortable?

What should we do with stainless steel railway coaches with interiors of fibre reinforced plastic that look like insides of an aircraft? We need to travel comfortably.



Will be ever blessed with commuting to work with comfort and style in Mumbai?



I too would love to travel in style in my own city of Mumbai.

Alas! It is just a dream!

Mahanagar mein Dastaan,,,,,A live show with a difference..

DASTANGOI is the lost artform of storytelling. Mahmood Farooqui, an actor and a writer based in Delhi, revived this art form. Together with Danish Husain he is putting this artform back on the performing arts' map.

If you are in Mumbai on Sunday 19th October 2008, see them perform at Bhavan's Cultural Centre (Near Andheri Recreational Club) , Munshi Nagar, Dadabhai Road, Andheri West from 7:30pm to 9:00 pm

They will perform two dastans, one traditional and one contemporary, for this show. Both these tales have not been publicly performed in Mumbai.

The first tale is from the traditional Dastan-e-Amir Hamza and is about Amar Ayyaar, the trickster, slaying Mahtaab Jadoo, a sorcerer and Afrasiyaab's aide.

The second tale builds upon their earlier performance on the Partition of India and extends it to the Indian Muslims experience after 1947.

This is the show not to be missed and the best part is that you don’t need the language to enjoy the performance.

It is a cross between a theatre performance & a poetry reading. The words are wonderfully descriptive and conjure visions in your head. The performers are seated but use expressions, gestures, tone of voice & myriad other techniques to transport you into a realm of fantasy consisting partly of "tilisms" (alternate worlds), aiyyaars, sorcerers & magicians.

Moreover, the performance is free. What have you to lose?

Are you in Mumbai for the celebration of Durga Puja?

Goddess Durga represents a united front of all Divine forces against the negative forces of evil and wickedness.

The image of Durga, the Eternal Mother destroying the demon, Mahishasur is symbolic of the final confrontation of the spiritual urge of man with his baser passions.

In Mumbai, Durga Puja is an enjoyable occasion. Puja is performed each day and devotees do not remove the flower garland that is put each day on the idol or image of the deity. After nine days, all nine garlands are removed together. Young girls who have not attained maturity are invited to eat, play games, dance and sing. An elephant is drawn with rangoli, and the girls play guessing games. Then they are fed a meal of their choice.

If you are in Mumbai check out these Puja pandals near you…..

1. Tejpal Hall, August Kranti Marg, Cumballa Hill, Off Peddar Road
2. Shivaji Park, Dadar
3. Shakti Samanta's Puja, Near National College, Off Linking Road, Bandra
4. Ramakrishna Temple Puja, 12th Road, Khar(W)
5. Mukherjee Badi Puja, near Poddar College, Off SV Road, Santacruz (W)
6. Abhijit's Puja, new Lokhandwala Complex, Lokhandwala, Andheri (W)
7. Kallol Kali Temple Puja, Bangur Nagar, Off Link Road, Goregaon (W)
8. Vashi Puja, Opp. Vashi Railway Station
9. Chembur Puja, Chembur Naka, Chembur
10. Hiranandani Gardens, Hiranandani, Powai
11. Kanjur Marg Puja, Naval Colony, Near Huma Adlabs, Kanjur Marg
12. Tara Singh Compound Puja, on LBS Road, Bhandup
13. EdenWoods Puja, Near Edenwoods, Thane (W)
14. Happy Valley, Thane (W)
15. Hiranandani Estate, Hiranandani, Thane (W)
image source: Google

Kala Ghoda Festival, once more in Mumbai, Wow!

We had one Kala Ghoda festival in February 2008 and I had enjoyed every bit of it I had even blogged on the events on my other blog during that time. you can visit my blog to get the gist of my adventure.

It is here once again from the 9th to the 12th October 2008, every evening, at the Amphitheatre.

This year, you will see some of the regulars from the February festival as well as a lot of new and upcoming names.

There will be exhibition cum sale of article where rural artisans will display their talents and sell their wares. Among the varied and unique articles on exhibit and sale —

• Rare Thought (wrought iron furniture, interior accessories, home décor products)
• Rangoli Art (designer home accessories)
• Paper quiling
• Hand-painted stoles, dupattas, saris
• Ethnic and Western wear
• Books
• Tribal art
• Miniature paintings
• Durries
• Hand-embroidered kurtas
• Mojris
• Woodwork
• Handmade paper
• Traditional Kutch handicrafts and accessories

Then there are variety of programs lined up for the evenings and if you are interested in the culture and art you can watch the various performance:


Thursday, 9 October, 2008
* Shom Shukla
Vocal music
Amphitheatre • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

* Anup Jalota and Raavi More
Vocal music
Amphitheatre • 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Friday, 10 October, 2008
* Rahul Sharma
Santoor
Amphitheatre • 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

* Quawalli Munnawar Masoom
Quawalli
Amphitheatre • 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Saturday, 11 October, 2008
* Samir Date
70s Retro Bollywood Melodies.
Amphitheatre • 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

* Stop Gaps
Jazz and Pop
Amphitheatre • 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

* Kavita Seth - Sufiana
Sufi Music
Amphitheatre • 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Sunday, 12 October, 2008
* Anand Lehari and Rajshri Shirke
Dance
Amphitheatre • 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

* Aditi Yadav - Natawari - Fusion
Kathak and Belly Dancing
Amphitheatre • 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

* Ranguphar - Nrityanjali
Folk Dances of India
Amphitheatre • 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm

* Terence Lewis - Out of the Box
Contemporary Dance
Amphitheatre • 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm

What a perfect way to spend a week end in Mumbai. Will you be there?